Steve Hackett quits Genesis(in german translation)

Section from the doku: Genesis - a history (transmitted 1991 in Swiss-TV)

Re-Translation:

Speaker:
During the recordings of W&W, another division became more and more apparent. Steve felt restricted in his creativity in a way, that soon a crisis will be evoked.

Steve:
With my succcessful Solo-Album I could let off some steam. That produces a difficult situation in the band, because they viewed the whole thing as a harrasment. They put pressure on me to give up my solo-career an I say: OK, provided - a part of my work will be taken over by the band. The band said: Actually we don't do such things, we decide collective.
My decision was very difficult. It tooks me two years to overcome my fear. Finally, I felt the band was no longer a healthy musical climate for me.

Phil:
I find, the way he left us was stange. I drive to the studio in London to mix 'Seconds Out'. I saw him on the steet and asked him: Can I give you a lift to the studio? He says: No, thanks - I phone you later. When I arrived in the studio, the others said:
Have you heard? Steve left us. Later, he phoned and said: I quit the band. I said: OK, see you then!

Tony:
At that time, we've been accustomed to that. It was strange, he just didn't appear one day. So we mixed him out of the rest of the album.
For me he left unexpected, 'cause for me, W&W was one of his best writing contribution he ever did for us.
Already from the beginning I felt he would't stay very long and we only would mark an episode in his career.

Mike:
I always was convinced, Steve's strength was playing the guitar, more than songwriting. I don't know if he ever realized that. His sound and his way to play was partly very special.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• steve
• hackett
• genesis

[skirmish703]

@Hypnopomp

@kostasxrysogelos

I can't hear what MR says, but 'strange' is not correct translated – my mistake. I changed it in 'special' – as the german translator says. I suppose, Mike means Steve's Tapping-Technic.

But anyway, Steve is a better writer than Mike and Phil.

And he was the only who kept the Genesis-flag flying. In his solo-career he played the Genesis stuff Genesis-like. When G2 played the G1-songs, it sound to me like for them it's a chore – and for my ears a pabulum.

[leftylucifer]

Mr. Mike Rutherford said:

"I always was convinced Steve's strength was playing the guitar, more than songwriting. I don't know if he ever realized that. His sound and his way to play was partly very strange."

Was Mike taking any illegal substance back then? Is Mike Rutherford a better songwriter than Steve Hackett? I don't think so!!! And what was wrong with Steve's playing? I think he influenced a lot more guitar players than Mr. Rutherford. What do you think?

[skirmish703]

Yea, that's it!

Maybe Tony in his Genesis1-Era, is a better songwriter than Steve.

But Steve is a better sonwriter than Phil, and a much much better songwriter than Mike!

Mr.Rutherford should think about it!

A possible Original-Genesis-Reunuion that should work right, is omly with Steve as the leader!

[LuthienAthariel]

- translation service :) -

Genesis has become a pathetic pop group, verse / chorus / verse / chorus; it has nothing to do with the extraordinary prog rock which Genesis was capable of!

[uriahheep108]

@grrabelo A cover is always necessary. In concealment lies a great part of our strength. Hence we must always hide ourselves under the name of another society. --Die neusten ararbeiten des Spartacus and Philo in dem Illuminaten-Orden, 1794, p: 165

This is taken from page 491 of Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco. 'Coincidentally' Umberto Eco has written the introduction to the newly printed version of Alexandre's The Count of Monte Christo.

[grrabelo]

Steve was better than Mike and Phill like Writter and composer. If we compare technicall guitarrist, he IS one of the best GUITARRIST AND MUSICIAN OF THE WORLD.

He know the Badens's Powell Ork and it is very proud for me, because Baden was Brazilian Classical and Popular Guitarrist. Thanks for post.

[oxymoroncity]

@leftylucifer

He didn't said: "his sound and his way to play was partly very STRANGE but SPECIAL

[EmileJoulbert]

Checked out my VHS. Mike's comment goes something like this:

"I always felt that Steve's strong-poing was as a guitarist..._strongest_ point, I think, more than as a writer. I don't know if he ever really could see it that way, in a sense, but he has a very original sound and an original way of playing."

[EmileJoulbert]

@leftylucifer The problem is, this has been translated into German, and then back to English. Mike uses the words "original way of playing", or something like that.

I still have that documentary on video....somewhere.

But as I remember it, there weren't that many Germans involved.

I think it would be fair to say Steve didn't blend in with the other guys as easily as Phil did. He appears to me as having been a bit of an outsider in the group, perhaps increasingly so after Peter left.

[JeffELOLynne]

Now THIS is the point where Genesis gets unprogressive. For me the leaving of Hackett was far more important then the leaving of Gabriel. Without Hackett,no progressive Genesis.

[Ken5244]

@Stratman78

I more or less agree. Things did get a little murky though because they DID continue to do some prog songs after DUKE -- it's just that from ~ ABACAB on, there was also a lot of pop/Top 40 material that wasn't there before and it got them more commercial attention & success. So they became known, to the masses, for the pop stuff while the more 'substantive' songs on the albums were overshadowed. Not every song from ABACAB on was pop by any means, but the hits mostly were.